Rugged North Devon

A couple of months ago (slight delay – apologies) I needed to escape familiar territory and revisit somewhere I loved as a kid: North Devon. I’d even been considering moving there so I thought it was about time I went back to see if it was how I remembered.

When I was about 11 years old we started going camping at Croyde Bay with friends every year, and the highlight for me was getting in the sea and bodyboarding for hours.

I took our old bodyboard with me, hired a wetsuit and braved the cold 10C water to relive the memories.

Once my freezing hands had gone numb and the shock of each wave going down the back of my wetsuit subsided I had a brilliant time catching the waves.

The next beach along at Saunton was my favourite for its three miles of sand, and for the way the tide goes really far out.

Being by the sea was a great feeling. I treated myself to a stay at the Saunton Sands hotel which sits atop the cliffs and has a magnificent uninterrupted view of the entire beach and the dunes behind. Even the sauna looks out to sea, and it’s beautiful no matter what the weather. A marvellous decision to escape I think!